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New study from cross-border payments company Payoneer breaks down average billing rates of freelancers in more than 180 countries based on experience, industry, gender, education and more. Resourcefulness, talent and hard work shown to matter more than gender or where professionals are located

New York City (PRWEB)April 22, 2015

Payoneer Inc., a leading global payments company empowering professionals and businesses to pay and get paid globally as easily as they do locally, today released the results of its Freelancer Income Survey 2015. In one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind, Payoneer surveyed more than 23,000 freelancers worldwide to determine average billing rates based on factors including experience, gender and skills. The findings enable skilled professionals to compare average hourly rates to industry peers, better understand what drives competition and find new ways to increase income and also provide a useful guide for businesses to determine competitive pay rates for freelancers.

The Payoneer Freelancer Income Survey 2015 includes data from respondents in 180 countries across six continents, offering freelancers in both developed and emerging markets a better understanding of the vast opportunities available to them. The average global hourly billing rate of about $21 is significantly higher than the average wages in most of the countries included in the survey.

“There’s an obvious appeal to freelancing – businesses worldwide can tap into a larger and more diverse talent pool than ever before, and it enables freelancers and service providers to secure work with international companies in ways that were previously unavailable to them,” said Scott Galit, CEO at Payoneer. “Freelancing offers smart, talented, hardworking professionals and business owners in emerging economies such as Argentina, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Serbia a major breakthrough in job prospects and earning potential that they would have never thought possible a few years ago. There has traditionally been very little standardization and transparency when it comes to freelancing rates, so we wanted to provide a resource that would provide a benchmark for the freelancing landscape globally.”

The survey also measured education levels for global freelancers finding that a higher level of education mattered less in determining fees than experience and skills. Additionally, the survey revealed near gender parity, with almost identical rates charged by male and female freelancers worldwide, and some markets such as Russia and Pakistan indicated women charge more than men for freelance work.

“Much of what we found in this survey is that companies hiring freelancers are more interested in their skills, experience and ratings than traditional education,” said Galit. “Freelancers looking for work have more opportunities than ever before to take advantage of cross-border freelancing and we are proud to have the opportunity to contribute to the success of hundreds of thousands of freelancers globally by simplifying the way they get paid for their cross-border sales.”

The results offer companies who hire freelancers – including the thousands of North American businesses who hire writers, translators, developers and designers from abroad – insights into the top markets for hiring freelance talent. The survey also provides companies with a better understanding of how freelancers and businesses are finding each other. For example, three in five freelancers find their jobs through online social networks – Facebook even more than Linkedin.

“In any type of business or even as an individual, knowing where to secure work, how much to charge and the best way to receive payments is one of the most critical aspects to consider,” said Allan Donato, co-founder of EASE Technology Solutions, an IT consulting and outsourcing company in the Philippines. “We have a talented team that provides top-notch service to our clients all over the world, but it’s a fiercely competitive market. Working with Payoneer, we have accelerated the growth of our company in terms the number of projects, employees and earnings.”

To download the full Payoneer Freelancer Income Survey 2015 report, visit the download page. To learn more about how Payoneer is empowering global commerce with cross-border payment services for business, visit the Payoneer website.

About Payoneer
Payoneer empowers global commerce by connecting businesses, professionals, countries and currencies with its innovative cross-border payments platform. In today’s borderless digital world, Payoneer enables millions of businesses and professionals from more than 200 countries to reach new audiences by facilitating seamless, cross-border payments. Additionally, thousands of leading corporations including Google, Airbnb, Elance-oDesk and Getty Images rely on Payoneer’s mass payout services.

With Payoneer’s fast, flexible, secure and low-cost solutions, businesses and professionals in both developed and emerging markets can now pay and get paid globally as easily as they do locally. Founded in 2005 and based in New York, Payoneer is venture-backed, profitable and ranked in the top 100 of Inc. 5000’s Financial Services companies. For more information, visit us at http://www.payoneer.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.